Seat track assemblies are commonly used for forward and rearward comfort adjustment of seats, particularly seats affixed to motor vehicles. Such seats normally have a seat base and a seat back, with the seat back pivotably connected to the seat base by recliners. Upper seat tracks are slidable over lower seat tracks, and the tracks are releasably secured together at a selected position by a master latch assembly. When such seats are positioned, for example, in the front row of a 2-door vehicle, it is desirable to be able to move the seats forward to allow access to a back row of the motor vehicle. Easy entry, as that term is used by those skilled in the art, refers to a seat mounted on a seat track assembly in which the upper seat tracks can be readily unlatched from their corresponding lower tracks and the seat slid forward, allowing greater access to the back row.
Memory, as that term is used by those skilled in the art of seat track assemblies refers to a seat track assembly having a system in which the seat automatically re-latches when returned to a preselected position. Such memory systems are typically either single point memory, where the seat re-latches when returned to one particular position preselected by the manufacturer, or full memory, where the seat re-latches when returned to the same position it was in before the seat was moved by the easy entry feature.
From the vantage point of an operator of the seat, easy entry with full memory is considered more desirable than easy entry with single point memory. However, known full memory designs greatly increase the cost and complexity of such easy entry seat track assemblies. It would be desirable to have a low cost memory feature on an easy entry seat track assembly having fewer components and greater reliability.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a seat track assembly having both easy entry and full memory features with reduced cost and complexity and enhanced manufacturability. It is another, related object of the present invention to provide such an easy entry seat track assembly with full memory that is highly reliable in operation.